Coffee Cake Cookies

Wanting coffee cake at nine on a random Tuesday morning, but refusing to wait an hour for an actual cake to bake, is exactly what led to these coffee cake cookies. My lack of patience turned into a genuine win for anyone else, since these deliver the exact same cinnamon-sugar joy in a fraction of the time.

The first attempt once skipped chilling the dough and produced a giant, flat mega-cookie covering the entire baking sheet, which still got eaten but taught a lasting lesson. This coffee cake cookie recipe brings the cozy comfort of crumb cake cookies without the commitment of a whole cake. Here is exactly how I do it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Fast comfort. These take less than half the time of a traditional coffee cake, which helps when patience runs thin.
• Heavy on the topping. The streusel-to-cookie ratio stays highly aggressive, just the way it should be.
• Breakfast approved. Calling them morning food works because the word coffee sits in the title.
• Pantry friendly. This coffee cake cookie recipe uses basic baking staples, so a store trip rarely becomes necessary.

Tools You’ll Need

Nothing fancy, I promise.

• cookie scoop – Highly recommend this so your cookies are actually the same size, unlike my usual chaotic baking style.
• Electric hand mixer. A stand mixer works too, though a hand mixer means fewer heavy things to wash.
• Baking sheet. Any standard rimmed baking sheet handles the batch easily.

Ingredients

For the Cookie Dough

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter – Make sure it is actually softened, not melted in the microwave because you forgot to take it out (been there).
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar – Firmly packed, so you get that chewy texture.
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar – For crisp edges.
• 1 large egg – Room temperature helps the dough mix evenly.
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract – The cheap stuff is fine, we are baking it anyway.
• 2 cups cake flour – This gives the cookies a soft, tender crumb, but see the FAQ if you only have all-purpose flour.
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch – The secret weapon for keeping these coffee cake flavored cookies soft.
• 1 teaspoon baking powder – Check the expiration date, please.
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda – For a little lift.
• 1/2 teaspoon salt – To balance the sugar.

For the Streusel Topping

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter – Melted this time.
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour – For the crumbly bits.
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar – Firmly packed.
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar – Adds crunch to the streusel.
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon – The MVP of cinnamon streusel cookies.
• 1/4 teaspoon salt – Omit this if you only have salted butter.

For the Glaze

• 2/3 cup powdered sugar – Sift it if it looks like a pile of rocks.
• 2 tablespoons whole milk – Plus a little more if your glaze is too thick.

How To Make Coffee Cake Cookies

Do not let the three different components scare you; this is mostly just throwing things in bowls and hoping for the best.

1. Cream the butter and sugar: Cream the butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl until smooth and fluffy – if you skimp on this step, your cookies will be sad and flat.
2. Add egg and vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract to the bowl and beat until fully combined.
3. Mix the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt – do not skip whisking the dry stuff, nobody wants a clump of pure baking soda in their mouth.
4. Combine wet and dry: Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
5. Make the streusel: Combine the melted butter, flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl, using a fork to combine until crumbly – do not overmix or it turns into a heavy paste.
6. Scoop and shape: Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto a baking sheet, make an indentation in the center, and fill it with a spoonful of streusel – if some streusel falls off onto the pan, that is just a chef’s snack for later.
7. Bake: Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 12 minutes, or until the edges just begin to turn golden.
8. Prepare the glaze: While the cookies cool, whisk together powdered sugar and milk until you have a smooth glaze, then drizzle over the cooled cookies.

Make it yours

• Nutty version. You fold chopped pecans or walnuts into the streusel for extra crunch.
• Chocolate version. You fold mini chocolate chips into the dough for a sweeter twist.

Perfect Pairings

These streusel topped cookies suit two specific pairings particularly well.

• A giant mug of black coffee to balance out the sweet glaze.
• A cold glass of milk – obviously.
• Your next Tuesday morning staff meeting, because bringing streusel topped cookies is the only way to survive a PowerPoint presentation.
• A scoop of vanilla bean ice cream if you want to turn these into a totally unreasonable dessert.

Coffee Cake Cookies

These coffee cake cookies prove that a genuinely satisfying breakfast treat needs nothing beyond a little patience with chilling and a generous hand with streusel. This coffee cake cookie recipe delivers soft, tender bites topped with cinnamon streusel and a sweet glaze, all in about 12 minutes of baking time. Whether served at a staff meeting or enjoyed with a morning mug, these cinnamon streusel cookies earn a permanent spot in the regular rotation.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

15 minutes mins

Total Time 47 minutes mins

Servings: 18 cookies

Course: Cookies, Desserts

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the Cookie Dough:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups cake flour or all-purpose flour as a substitute
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Streusel Topping:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt omit if using salted butter

For the Glaze:

• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole milk plus more if needed

Equipment

• Cookie scoop
• Electric hand mixer
• Baking sheet

Method

 

1. Cream the butter and sugar

   You cream the butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl until smooth and fluffy.
2. Add egg and vanilla

   You add the egg and vanilla extract to the bowl and beat until fully combined.
3. Mix the dry ingredients

   You whisk together the cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
4. Combine wet and dry

   You slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
5. Make the streusel

   You combine the melted butter, flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl, using a fork until crumbly.
6. Scoop and shape

   You scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto a baking sheet, make an indentation in the center, and fill it with a spoonful of streusel.
7. Bake and glaze

   You bake at 350°F for about 12 minutes, until the edges just begin to turn golden, then let the cookies cool before drizzling the glaze over them.

Recipe Notes

Cake flour: I use this for the softest texture, or substitute all-purpose with cornstarch.
Butter: I soften it for the dough, melt it for the streusel.
Chilling: I chill the dough 15 minutes to prevent spreading.
Glaze: I wait until the cookies cool completely before drizzling.
Storage: I keep these away from crispy cookies to avoid a soft mess